301.519.9237 exdirector@nesaus.org

1-22-18 NESA Monitor

Door to Door Sales

  • Service Nova Scotia warns of “unlicensed” company selling home …
    1.19.18 – HalifaxToday.ca – Nova Scotians who have entered into an ADT Security Services contract sold by a door-to-door seller representing iCONIC Alarms between February and October 2017 are protected under the Direct Sellers’ Regulation Act. The contract can be cancelled at any time, for any reason. Nova Scotians cannot be charged .. More Info

Public Safety Updates

  • CA: Atherton to consider poles, trees, alarms, tax on Wednesday
    1.16.18 – The Almanac Online – The chief’s report says that from January 2016 to November 2017 the police department received 4,599 alarm calls –all of them false. The department was able to determine that about half the calls were false alarms without responding. But ones they did respond to took up the equivalent of 13 months of one full-time police … More Info
  • MD: Maryland Smoke Alarm Law Now in Effect
    1.18.18 – The Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal posted a reminder about the law last month. It said while the law emphasizes the use of sealed-battery … More Info
  • WA: Panic buttons rolling out for hotel housekeepers to combat sex assault
    1.16.18 – KSHB – Now, all hotels with more than 60 rooms are required to provide panic buttons that trigger some kind of alarm. Seattle has not yet provided rules regarding the exact type of panic button that hotels are required to use. But one of the more common types of buttons currently in use in the city connects to software attached to the … More Info
  • WA: Sound the alarm: It’s time to register security systems
    1.17.18 – Port Townsend Leader – The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has responded to hundreds of false alarms in recent years, with 387 unwarranted alarm calls received in 2017 alone. While Sheriff Dave Stanko attributed the likely causes of these alarms to defective alarm systems or human error, he noted these false alarms require law enforcement to … More Info

Industry News

  • Red Hawk Makes 2 Acquisitions
    1.16.18 – SDM – Red Hawk Fire & Security LLC, ranked No. 18 on the SDM 100, purchased two companies to build upon its capabilities in the special hazard fire suppression business and the integrated security services arena. More Info
  • Recall Alert: Kidde Combination Smoke/CO Alarms Recalled
    1.17.18 – TAPinto.net – Millburn, NJ – A recall has been announced for the Kidde NightHawk talking combo smoke/CO alarm. The recall includes model number KN-COSM-IB and manufacture dates between June 1, 2004 and December 31, 2010. The combination smoke/carbon monoxide (CO) alarm can fail to continue to chirp when it reaches .. More Info
  • Ring Settles with ADT in Zonoff Lawsuit, Acquires Lighting Co …
    1.18.18 – CEPro – The famous maker of video doorbells apparently has settled with ADT in the “Zonoff” lawsuit and will launch its newly branded Ring Alarm system soon. Also, Ring enhanced its surveillance app, and acquired the wireless lighting company Wireless Environment, LLC, dba Mr. Beams. Details on the acquisition below, and … More Info
  • Here’s Why the Security Industry Can Expect a Healthy 2018
    1.19.18 – Security Sales & Integration – The alarm industry does not operate in a vacuum; by and large it is influenced by all the same factors that affect other business sectors. The good news for the alarm industry appears to be that the economy seems strong and we can likely continue to see activity with mergers and acquisitions. This won’t just affect the big … More Info
  • Perimeter intrusion detection: The first line of defense
    1.19.18 – SIW – Integration with other security technologies is key to any effective perimeter defense system… More Info
  • Yawn: ‘Pundits’ Blame ADT’s Poor IPO on the Demise of Full-Service Security and Home Automation
    1.19.18 –  CEPro – CNBC interviewers and pundits-at-large try to blame ADT’s lackluster IPO on a doomed market for full-service security and home automation, but they’re simply wrong. More Info
  • Here’s Why the Security Industry Can Expect a Healthy 2018
    1.19.18 – SSI – The news has been dominated by stories of volatile societal influences, but they may be one reason why the security industry is going stronger than ever. More Info
  • Self-monitoring systems: Friend or foe to the professionals?
    1.17.18 – SSN – Without a doubt, there has been an increasing trend toward DIY security systems, which are not only installed by the homeowner but also monitored by them (also referred to as MIY, or “monitor-it-yourself” systems). Many homeowners are discovering the advantages of these systems, such as eliminating the monthly fees associated with the central monitoring station that are such an integral part of the professional offerings. More Info
  • CES 2018 Recap: Total Technology Tsunami
    1.18.18 – SDM – Roller skates, beds, autonomous flying cars, smart clothing, robots, aromatherapy, flexible video screens, wireless everything, drones, artificial intelligence (AI), toys, analytics, smart cities, and anything tech were alive and well … More Info

Legislative News

Bill Text Description History
NJAB00475
Text		 Revises law concerning alarm business licensees. No companion bill.
Status: 1/9/2018 : Introduced, Referred to Assembly Regulated Professions Committee		 History
NJAB00771
Text		 Requires nonpublic school buildings to be equipped with emergency light and panic alarm linked to a local law enforcement. No companion bill.
Status: 1/9/2018 : Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee		 History
NJAB00772
Text		 Requires public and nonpublic school buildings to be equipped with emergency light and panic alarm linked to local law enforcement. No companion bill.
Status: 1/9/2018 : Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee		 History
NJAB01358
Text		 Regulates installation, maintenance, and repair of low-voltage alarm systems. No companion bill.
Status: 1/9/2018 : Introduced, Referred to Assembly Regulated Professions Committee		 History
NJAB01835
Text		 Requires carbon monoxide detectors in school buildings. No companion bill.
Status: 1/9/2018 : Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee		 History
NJSB00823
Text		 Regulates installation, maintenance, and repair of low-voltage alarm systems. No companion bill.
Status: 1/9/2018 : Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee		 History
CASB00904
Text		 Wieckowski (S) | Alarm companies: business conditions: limited liability companies. An act to amend Section 7599.34 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions and vocations.
Status: 01/17/18 : Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.		 History

State & National News

  • Supreme Court will decide if online retailers must pay sales tax
    1.12.18 – USA TODAY – The Supreme Court agreed Friday to reconsider one of the most contentious issues in the business world: whether online retailers must collect sales taxes. More Info
  • Net neutrality advocates look to states after FCC repeal
    1.15.18 – The Hill – Lawmakers in at least six state governments have introduced legislation to preserve the rules, and legislators in other states are in the process of considering their own net neutrality bills. More Info
  • Security systems at thousands of buildings in Austin, Texas, compromised
    1.17.18 – SIW – Burglary suspect found in possession of master key to lockboxes used by first responders… More Info
  • NFPA strives to develop minimum requirements for active shooter response
    1.18.18 – SIW – Private security, first responders and other professionals collaborate on provisional standard fast-tracked by organization… More Info
  • Heating equipment is a leading cause of fires in U.S. homes
    12-17 – NFPA – Space heaters are the involved in 85% of deaths in home fires caused by heating equipment. Stay safe this cold winter season and read more about home heating equipment fires in NFPA’s new report. More Info

Business Tips

  • Change: Our Industry’s Only Constant
    1.17.18 – SecurityInfoWatch – For integrators, hardware commoditization means the days of reaping healthy profit margins on the products themselves are nearing an end. For alarm dealers, the proliferation of do-it-yourself and smart home technology continues to alter the traditional RMR business model of monitoring contracts – so much so that it is .. More Info
  • How One Integrator Copes, Flourishes in the Face of a Destructive Hurricane
    1.17.18 – SSI – SSI speaks with Stephen Spears, a systems integrator based in Puerto Rico, about his experiences after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. His company was profiled in SSI’s September 2017 issue. More Info

Fire & EMS News

  • AR: Arkansas man who admitted setting store on fire to collect insurance …
    1.21.18 – NWAOnline – Martin called 911 to report the fire, saying an alarm company had alerted him about an activated motion detector at the store. After Martin filed an insurance claim, an investigator for the company determined that the fire had been intentionally set and that there had been no forced entry to the building, court documents said. More Info
  • CA: Smoke alarm helps resident flee Pacific Palisades inferno
    1.18.18 – MyNewsLA.com – said Brian Humphrey of the Los … More Info
  • FL: State Fire Marshal Office investigates fire at Sarasota restaurant
    1.16.18 – WWSB ABC 7 – Sarasota, FL – The State Fire Marshal Office is investigating the cause of a fire at the Mandeville Beer Garden on Lemon Avenue in Sarasota. According to the owner, Rebekah Mandeville, the fire broke out in the rear of the restaurant in a dumpster. Mandeville says she got a call from her fire alarm around 2:00 … More Info
  • KY: Smoke alarms save Richmond family from fire
    1.18.18 – Richmond, Ky. (WKYT) – A Richmond family is safe after an apartment fire. The fire started Thursday morning at an apartment on South Killarney … More Info
  • MA: Alarm system alerts Orleans firefighters to electrical fire
    1.16.18 – CapeCod.com News – Orleans – An automatic fire alarm likely prevented a major blaze in Orleans. Firefighters were called sometime around 7:30 AM Monday morning to discover an apparent electrical fire in the ceiling. According to reports an outlet for the heating system malfunctioned. The fire was quickly put out and no … More Info
  • MO: Burst pipe leads to fire alarm at Judicial Center
    1.18.18 – Cassville Democrat- Cassville firefighters used a heat gun to check the wall and ceiling in the sally port at the Barry County Judicial Center after fire alarms brought first … More Info
  • OK: Fire At Closed Tulsa Cleaners Under Investigation
    1.19.18 – News On 6 – Investigators are trying to determine caused a fire at a closed Tulsa business Thursday evening. Firefighters say they got the alarm just before 7 p.m. to the former Harvard Cleaners building near the Pine and Harvard. The department says HAZMAT units was dispatched to the scene as a precaution because of all the … More Info
  • SC: Smoke alarm saved Darlington County family from fire
    1.17.18 – WPDE – A family of three escaped a fire Wednesday morning on Steeplechase Drive in Darlington County thanks to smoke alarm in their home, according to Chief Tommy Spivey with Palmetto Rural Fire Department. Spivey said the fire appears to have started from a drye. More Info
  • TX: $700,000 loss in Waco house fire
    1.18.18 -centexproud.com –  Waco, TX – A fire alarm that came … More Info
  • TX: Overloaded wall circuit leads to Paris house fire
    1.18.18 – KXII-TV – We’re told three people including a child were in the home at the time of the fire and made it out safely thanks to a smoke alarm. Paris Fire Chief Larry Wright says the fire started due to a space heater overloading a wall circuit. He says those can be a problem for many wall circuits in older homes. “Amperage draw on the … More Info
  • WA: Seattle police investigating woman’s death as suspicious
    1.15.18 – The Bellingham Herald – Jamieson says as officers were knocking on the door, they heard what sounded like a smoke alarm inside. Officers checked around the house and discovered smoke coming from inside and called the Seattle Fire Department. Officers then entered the house through an unlocked door and discovered a woman’s body. More Info
  • WI: Pewaukee police report: Burnt bacon triggers fire alarm
    1.17.18 – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – A. Police said burnt bacon triggered a fire alarm at about 5:41 p.m. Jan. 10. An incident report stated that the fire department responded and reset the alarm. B. Emergency personnel rushed a 6-year-old boy to the hospital at about 4:46 p.m. Jan. 10 after an unidentified caller reported the … More Info

Crime News

  • AL: Accused burglar stole flea, tick meds from Hoover vet clinic, police say
    1.17.18 – AL.com – A Hoover man is under arrest after police say he broke into a veterinary clinic, stole flea and tick medicine and then led officers on a foot chase. The break-in happened just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital, said Lt. Keith Czeskleba. A witness reported hearing a burglar alarm … More Info
  • AZ: Veteran victim of home invasion
    1.20.18 – FOX 10 News Phoenix – “He was going to open the door for the other two and the alarm triggered,” said Anthony. Anthony said his house had been vacant for a while until he moved in. He thinks the trio live nearby and saw him move in and decided to strike before he was settled in, catching him off guard. “I brought a U-Haul here to move in, so they … More Info
  • CA: Caught On Camera: San Ramon Burglar Leaves His Image Behind …
    1.16.18 – San Ramon (CBS SF) – A man who busted into a home in San Ramon to steal property left behind a recording of his face and distinguishing tattoo on surveillance video. San Ramon police tweeted the residential burglary happened at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. More Info
  • CA: Fair Oaks Restaurant Posts Video of Burglar, Thanks Neighbors for …
    1.18.18 – FOX40- Fair Oaks – The Dad’s Kitchen restaurant in Fair Oaks had its window smashed in an early Wednesday burglary, according to a post on its Facebook page. “To the man with a cigarette in his mouth that broke in at 4:15 a.m. (Wednesday) to take the cash drawer with $3 change in it … we see you,” the post read. More Info
  • CA: Sebastopol cannabis dispensary hit by burglar
    1.18.18 – Santa Rosa Press Democrat – Sebastopol police are investigating a Wednesday morning cannabis dispensary burglary of $29,000 in merchandise that was later found nearby, Chief James Conner said in a written statement. Police became aware of the theft when interior motion detectors set off the alarm at SPARC/Peace and Medicine … More Info
  • CA: Video shows security guard opening fire on teen robbery suspects …
    1.19.18 – MyNewsLA.com – 30 robbery after a silent alarm was activated around 11:35 p.m., according to Det. Gregory Stickley of the LA Sheriff’s Compton Station. The store’s armed security guard was sitting in his vehicle when he saw two males wearing hooded sweatshirts, tied in a manner that was … More Info
  • FL: Deputies recover $250000 in Verizon Wireless stolen merchandise
    1.16.18 – Fox 4 – Southwest Fla. — Deputies arrest three men who burglarized Verizon Wireless store on Sunday. Fort Myers Police were alerted by the stores alarm system and responded to the burglary. When deputies arrived on the scene they noticed the rear door open. Officers entered the store and … More Info
  • FL: Fort Myers Police, Collier County Sheriff’s Office, recover $250000 in …
    1.16.18 – Cape Coral Daily Breeze – Fort Myers police and Collier County deputies recovered $250,000 in electronics stolen from a Lee County Verizon Wireless store, apprehending three men in the process. The Fort Myers Police Department responded to an alarm at the Verizon Wireless store shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday. Arriving … More Info
  • IL: Police: Three men steal headphones, speaker from Walmart store
    1.16.18 – The Herald-News – The three men left the store and tripped the electronic alarm system but nevertheless refused to stop when approached by store employees, Joliet police Capt. Bruce Larson said in an email. Officers arrived on the scene and were given a description of the three suspects. They later located them and they were positively … More Info
  • IN: St. Anthony burglary defendant among pair arrested
    1.18.18 – The Herald – The person then entered and punched in a pass code to deactivate the alarm system. Court documents indicate the burglar also had a pass code to a safe. Cash in the amount of $1,097.81 and 11 packs of Camel cigarettes were reported stolen. On Oct. 16, the sheriff’s department’s investigation ultimately led to the … More Info
  • KY: Suspect in SW Metro business robberies arrested
    1.18.18 – WAVE 3 – Dwight Mitchell, a Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman, said Flaherty was arrested after committing a robbery this morning at the Circle K. Flaherty was quickly arrested as he was leaving the scene by officers responding to the holdup alarm. More Info
  • MI: St. Clair County Dispatch log for Thursday, Jan. 18
    1.19.18 – Port Huron Times Herald – 7:30 p.m., Alarm Intrusion. More Info
  • MN: Freeze alarm uncovers burglary
    1.19.18 –  – Fergus Falls Daily Journal – A property owner on the southeast shoreline of Otter Tail Lake received the bad news when a remote alarm revealed freezing temperatures in an unattended lake home. In the report by the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, authorities say the individual returned to the cabin to investigate the alert but found the property’s front … More Info
  • NC: 4 arrested after breaking into Burlington school, police say
    1.19.18 – WXII The Triad – According to police, they were called in reference to an alarm. Upon arrival, officers observed “a group of students” in the parking lot on the side of the school. The group fled on foot. Police “flooded the area and located three subjects.” Police say it was … More Info
  • ND: Suspect arrested in Christmas Eve robbery
    1.17.18 – Bismarck Tribune – The cashier also hit a silent alarm. Court documents say a Bismarck police detective found footprints nearby in the snow and noted the tracks’ tread and description. Police later recovered a bandanna, sunglasses and gloves reportedly used in the robbery, found in a portable toilet. Surveillance footage allowed them to … More Info
  • NM: Police need help identifying suspects in Walgreens burglaries
    1.17.18 – KVIA El Paso – Las Cruces, NM – Police need help in identifying the two men suspected of breaking into Walgreens stores in Las Cruces, Anthony, Texas and Deming early Wednesday morning. Las Cruces police were dispatched to an alarm at the Walgreens store at around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17. More Info
  • PA: Footprints in the snow lead police to alleged burglar
    1.18.18 – 69 WFMZ TV News – Easton police said they tracked a … More Info
  • PA: Montoursville Police list incidents
    1.15.18 – NorthcentralPa.com – 1/8 – An Officer responded to a glass break alarm. Upon arrival, the facility was checked and it was determined to be a false alarm. 1/8 – An Officer responded to a domestic between and adult son and mother. It was learned that the son was pounding on the exterior door … More Info
  • TN: Raccoon sets off alarm at Knoxville store
    1.15.18 – WATE 6 On Your Side – Knoxville, Tenn. – A masked suspect was caught inside a Boost Mobile store in Knoxville. The Knoxville Police Department says a raccoon got into the store and set off a burglary alarm. “With the help of the business owner, the suspect escaped through the front door,” said police. The report says the officer at the .. More Info
  • VT: Police: 9 officers opened fire on robbery suspect
    1.16.18 – WCAX – Police say he smashed the window with a bat and took a few steps inside before the alarm scared him off. Police say he also broke the door at nearby Toys R Us the same day. Giffin was supposed to answer to those two burglary charges later this month. Federal court documents show he’s no stranger to the courtroom. More Info
  • WA: Suspect released from jail two days before Spokane Valley rape
    1.16.18 – KREM.com – Court documents said deputies were called to the Cenex Zip Trip Store around 5:00 a.m. for a robbery alarm. When they arrived, deputies found the 24-hour store dark inside with the front door unlocked. Court documents said they saw a light emitting from underneath the restroom door and saw a woman’s … More Info

The National Monitor is a service of the National Electronic Security Alliance (NESA). Member states are free to reproduce the information contained herein in print or electronic media as they see fit. Contact NESA for more information at 301.519.9237 or bradshipp@4yoursolution.com

NESA is a federation of state associations established to serve and promote the electronic systems industry at the direction of, and through its affiliated state associations. Five state associations are part of NESA – Texas Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA), Maryland Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (MDBFAA), Kansas Electronic Security Association (KESA), Arkansas Security Alarm Association (ASAA) and Oklahoma Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (OKBFAA). For more info visit www.nesaus.org.

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